Nissan Pathfinder Engine Problems

LPG specialists tell me the 4.0-litre Pathfinder is one you don't want to convert. I am told the catalytic converters are close to the cylinder heads, the insert gets brittle and disintegrates, then tends to damage the engine.

The reason you can't find a kit is that there are issues with the Pathfinder V6. The catalytic converters are located very close to the engine and particles can be blown back into the engine from the converter and cause a major engine issue. There have been a number of issues with the Pathfinder and most of the kits that were developed have been removed from the market because of the problems with the cats. It's not worth the risk to convert it.

There have been issues with the catalytic converters overheating and breaking up and being ingested into the engine with Pathfinders running on LPG and installers generally don't recommend it. The guys at the Australian LPG Warehouse tell us that they have recently fitted a Pathfinder with one of their JTG liquid-injection systems.  They tell us that the combustion temperature with their system is the same as it would be on petrol, alleviating the problem with the cat converters.

The engine has a timing chain and doesn't require servicing, and there doesn't appear to be a problem with it breaking.

We haven’t had any other such reports at Cars Guide, perhaps our readers could let us know if they have experienced the same problem. To find the cause you need to establish what is, or perhaps more importantly, what isn’t happening. Are there any leaks around the heater? Is the core blocked or broken? Are all the hoses intact etc.?

Like it does with all of its models Nissan doesn’t recommend that you convert the Pathfinder to LPG, but that’s because it doesn’t want to carry the can for any problems that might arise because of the conversion. Aside from Nissan’s aversion to LPG there isn’t any real issue with converting the Pathfinder as long as you use an experienced and skilled converter and a recognized system. The system you will find you have to use is the more expensive vapour injection system, which does a good job but costs more. I would believe the Pathfinder would be a good car for your wife if she’s comfortable with the size, but it would be relatively heavy on petrol, and with the mileage I guess she could be doing it might not be viable to convert to LPG. I would consider the diesel.